Which doctor should I see for warts?

First you need to understand what warts are. Basically, it is a skin disease characterized by the appearance of small formations. The size of such formations ranges from 1 mm to 1 or more centimeters.

The cause of warts is viral. They can be transmitted from person to person by simply handling or using items that have been used by a sick person. The incubation period can last several months. So, when warts form on your body, it can be very difficult to remember who "gave" them to you.

It must be said that there are different types of warts, so the attitude towards them should be extremely delicate. They can be found on the back of the hands, on the face, and even on the scalp. On the feet, warts are usually found on the soles of the feet. If they are painless on the hands, then on the legs they can cause a lot of discomfort. Their formation can be stimulated by sweating feet and pressure from shoes.

A special place is occupied by juvenile warts that appear during adolescence. These warts are usually small in size and are found on the hands and face. For any type of warts, it is necessary to consult a doctor to exclude the possibility of any other skin disease.

Therefore, genital warts are sometimes mistaken for warts, which requires consultation with a venereologist and urologist. Every new growth on the skin should require maximum attention. It happens that a tumor on the skin is mistaken for a wart, and this is extremely dangerous, especially if you are going to remove it. In this case, you should not turn to folk remedies!

Such procedures should only be performed by a professional doctor, first making sure that he is working with the wart. It is not recommended to remove all warts, this method is used as a last resort: if the wart causes discomfort or bleeds, if the wart causes aesthetic discomfort, if the wart has reached a large size, if it grows.

Otherwise, it is better to treat warts. The treatment should be carried out by a doctor, who should supervise you during the entire treatment period. It must be said that improper treatment can contribute to the degeneration of the wart into a malignant tumor. Therefore, contact only specialists.

Types of warts

Warts are more often diagnosed in childhood and adolescence, but they can also appear in adults. In medicine, the following types of warts are distinguished:

1. Simple/vulgar.The most common type of skin tumor, 70% of cases are diagnosed in school-aged children. Most often, warts of this type appear on the hands, but they can also be present on the edges of the lips and on the neck. Simple warts are characterized by the presence of one largest, "mother" wart - if it is removed, then smaller tumors disappear.
2. Straight/youthful.They are rare - only up to 4% of diagnosed cases. They are located on the back of the hands, along the edges of the lips, on the head of the penis and on the oral mucosa.
3. Palm planter.They appear in places where the pressure of uncomfortable shoes is the most active. The diagnosis of this type of warts is often difficult, because the specialist must distinguish the neoplasm in question from corns and calluses.
4. Thread-like.It has a specific appearance - a small "tail" made of thin skin, there can be many of them and they are always arranged in a "cluster". They are most commonly found in the armpits, neck and under the chest/chest.

Methods of removing warts on the body and hands directly depend on what type of tumor will be diagnosed in the patient.

Another characteristic of warts is worth knowing - they do not have any exact description of "appearance". For example, a plantar wart may be a small rounded lump with a dark center, but a common wart is a growth on the skin that has a heterogeneous structure. The easiest way to answer the question "what does a wart look like" is if it is in the form of a thread - a "herb" appears on the skin, which does not cause pain or irritation. It is important to note that frequent rubbing of the nipple leads to its inflammation and irritation - it becomes red and can cause pain.

Where do warts come from?

All this is due to the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is most often transmitted by direct contact with the wart or the personal belongings of an infected person. Four of the several dozen types of HPV are responsible for the appearance of warts on the skin.

HPV can easily be called "sly". A person may not suspect for a long time that he has become the owner of HPV.

After infection, the virus is localized in the upper layer of the epidermis and may not appear for a long time. But as soon as the protective mechanisms weaken, the virus becomes active and manifests itself in the form of one or more warts.

From the moment of infection to the appearance of skin formations, it can take from a week to several months.

Locations

Which doctor to consult for warts depends directly on the location of the growths.

Depending on the variety, warts can grow all over the body, especially:

• on the leg and hand, on the foot;
• in the armpit area, under the chest and on its surface;
• on the face, neck and head;
• on male and female genital organs;
• on the mucous membrane of the vagina, esophagus, larynx;
• in the mouth. on the tongue and the inner surface of the cheeks and lips;
• on the body under the clothes.

Reasons for occurrence

It is very easy to get infected with human papilloma virus (HPV).

It is enough to have close contact with a person who has growths on the skin.

However, the disease does not appear immediately, and warts may begin to grow only months or years after infection.

Factors affecting HPV activity:

• weakened immunity;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• stress;
• malnutrition;
• bad habits;
• passive lifestyle.

What to do if the wart has already appeared

Let's go back to the poll results. Only 28% of respondents with warts consulted a doctor. The prospect of surgical removal seems more frightening than the wart itself. 34% of the study participants tried to remove warts on their own, and 16% decided not to do anything, because they do not attach any importance to it.

Why you need to get rid of warts

For those who are still unsure whether to remove warts, it is important to know the following.

• First, warts are contagious. To do this, direct contact with the wart or items for the personal hygiene of its carrier is sufficient.
• Second, warts tend to "conquer territory, " that is, spread to healthy areas of the skin. This process is called autoinoculation (self-infection).

It is obviously easier to treat warts in the early stages of the disease, which will save time, effort and money in the future. Moreover, in pharmacies you can buy products for self-removal of warts.

When to see a doctor

• if the wart quickly changes shape, color or all together;
• if the wart has an uneven color;
• if the borders of the wart are blurred (in this case, most likely, it is not a wart);
• if the nipple hurts or is constantly injured (this increases the risk of it degenerating into something more serious);
• if the number of warts gradually increases;
• if the nipple bleeds or itches;
• if a wart has formed in the genital area.

Which doctor treats warts in children and adults

If growths appear on any part of the body, consult a doctor specializing in the treatment of skin diseases - a dermatologist.

• He is the one who conducts the examination and decides whether further diagnostics are needed (blood test, PCR test, biopsy).
• In some suspicious cases, when the wart has signs of a malignant tumor, the dermatologist may recommend a consultation with an oncologist or dermato-oncologist.
• In most cases, the doctor decides to remove the wart, after which its tissue is sent for histological examination to make sure that there are no signs of malignancy.
• Warts on the mammary glands in women can cause breast cancer and require an examination by a mammologist.

Removal of warts

Wart removal is a radical method and is carried out in several ways. Warts can be removed with a laser. In addition, cryotherapy and electrocoagulation methods are used. You can effectively remove warts using homeopathic remedies. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses.

When choosing a method to remove a wart, the doctor is usually guided by the location of the wart on the body. Therefore, laser removal can leave scars. Sometimes after the use of the Surgitron device, the formation of scars is observed, so it is the doctor who must choose the method of wart removal: depending on where the warts are located.

Cryotherapy and electrocoagulation are gentle methods for removing warts. Electrocoagulation is performed using a special device that uses high-frequency current. As a result of using this device, the temperature of the tissue increases and the wart is destroyed, resulting in the death of the virus.

Cryotherapy is also cauterization, but only with liquid nitrogen. The procedure is quite painless and leaves no scars. Speaking of these two methods, it is worth noting that their use eliminates contact with blood, which is extremely important. You can only trust a doctor with experience in this field to remove warts.

After removing warts, you need to think about how to avoid re-infection.Under no circumstances should the nipples be torn off or tied with thread at the base so that they fall off on their own! Such unreasonable behavior can lead to serious health problems - for example, the resulting wound can become infected, and due to the tightening of the base of the tumor, blood flow can be disturbed.

A dermatologist or cosmetologist will tell you how to get rid of warts on the hands of children and adults, what procedures will help you forget about tumors on the body and face - you can contact any of these specialists. There are three main methods for removing warts:

1. Laser therapy.Usually, this method is used to remove warts in the most tender and painful places or if the patient wants to avoid scarring. Laser removal of warts on the face is the optimal solution, because this procedure is painless, does not require a long recovery period, and does not leave scars on the skin after it.
2. Cryodestruction.This involves the use of liquid nitrogen, which literally burns the tumor without leaving any marks on the skin, although in some cases a small scar is possible. After removing warts with liquid nitrogen, the patient will need to avoid direct sunlight; in the future, a small whitish spot may remain at the site of the procedure.
3. Drug therapy.It is used in combination with the above methods. There are many drugs that have a local effect and help to destroy the wart faster. The most effective remedy for warts is celandine extract, which is applied pointwise to the growth. You should not use the celandine plant alone to treat warts - if its juice gets on healthy skin, it causes severe burns.

Addressing this type of skin tumor should be comprehensive. It is not enough to visit a doctor and find out what causes warts on your fingers or face, you must follow all the regulations and recommendations of a specialist. Even with proper treatment, relapses of the disease are recorded quite often - in 40-50% of cases warts reappear.

You can find more information about what warts are, which doctor to contact for the treatment of plantar warts and what is meant by the term "general treatment of human papillomavirus" on the pages of our website.

Is it possible to remove warts yourself?

You can remove warts yourself at home, but only after diagnosis by a specialist.

There are special flammable pharmaceutical products that can remove growths after the first use. They have cauterizing and necrotizing effects.

Such drugs are toxic and can cause tissue burns around the nipple, so they must be used with caution. It is not recommended to remove warts at home in places with particularly sensitive and sensitive skin (on the face, neck, mammary glands and genitals). You must also ensure that the wart is completely gone and that there are no roots or any other parts. The ability of warts to reproduce is so great that even a small piece of tissue can become a source of infection in healthy areas of the dermis.

When using pharmaceutical drugs, you must strictly follow the instructions for their use and pay special attention to contraindications. Most of them are prohibited for use by children, pregnant and lactating women.

Warts are external manifestations of an unsatisfactory internal state of the organism. It is important not only to get rid of the symptoms of the disease, but to continuously fight the virus. The human immune system is able to deal with the causative agent of the disease on its own if it is given all possible help. To do this, it is enough just to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, strengthen the body with sports and healthy food.

Complications

Anogenital warts under certain conditions (for example, in the case of infection with sexually transmitted infections, reduced general and/or local immunity) can increase in size and grow, which worsens a person's sexual life and significantly reduces the quality of life.

In addition, inflammation and suppuration of anogenital warts, as well as their ulceration, may develop due to long-term mechanical impact on them. In rare cases, their malignant degeneration is possible.

Recommendations for patients with warts

• Since two-thirds of cases resolve spontaneously within two years, warts can be seen without treatment. As old lesions recede, new warts may appear. This is not due to treatment failure, but is part of the natural history of HPV infection.
• Treatment often lasts several weeks or months, so patience and persistence are necessary for the therapy to be successful.
• Tools used to remove warts, such as nail files and pumice stones, should not be used on healthy skin or by other people. For the same reason, if the warts are located on parts of the skin that have hair, you should use epilators or electric shavers to remove the hair in those areas, or not remove the hair at all, thus limiting the spread of the warts.
• A repeated visit to the doctor is necessary to monitor and evaluate the results of the treatment. • If the patient carries out the therapy himself, he can schedule follow-up visits to the doctor at his own discretion.

Prevention

Preventive measures include:

• vaccination with quadrivalent vaccine (against HPV types 6 and 11, 16, 18);
• exclusion of casual sexual contacts;
• use of barrier methods of contraception (condoms);
• compliance with the rules of personal hygiene;
• timely and adequate treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs;

FAQ

Which doctor treats warts?

For warts, it is best to consult a dermatologist. A dermatologist specializes in the treatment of skin diseases and has experience in removing warts.

Is it possible to see a general practitioner with a problem with warts?

Yes, you can see a general practitioner, such as a general practitioner. They will be able to perform an initial consultation and, if necessary, refer you to a specialist - a dermatologist.

What methods of treating warts do doctors use?

Doctors can use a variety of methods to treat warts, including cryotherapy (freezing warts with liquid nitrogen), chemical removal, electrocautery (using electricity to remove warts), and laser removal. The doctor will choose the most suitable method depending on the characteristics of the wart and the individual characteristics of the patient.

Useful tips

Tip #1

See a dermatologist. A dermatologist specializes in skin conditions and can help you with warts. He will perform an examination, make a diagnosis and offer the most effective treatment.

Tip #2

Visit an oncodermatologist. Warts can be linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause skin cancer. A dermatologist oncologist specializes in diagnosing and treating skin cancer, so he can conduct additional tests and recommend appropriate treatment if necessary.